We become what we accumulate. Accumulate love.

​Shortly after reading the words below from Bob Goff this morning, I learned that a dear friend had lost his battle with Covid. My first thoughts when I heard the news - that dude knew how to accumulate love.

"Pop" Bob Himmel was a night watch and then later a cook at the wilderness camp I worked at for many years.

I remember when Bob started as a nightwatch. After he'd been on duty about a couple of weeks, our yellow lab, Calypso, would run to the door and start whimpering when she heard Bob's truck arrive late at night. (It became a great way to know Bob was on time for work 😊). I'd open the door, let the dog out, and she'd be gone until morning.

One night I decided I was going to follow Calypso. I needed to know what on earth kept that dog out all night.

I walked down to the little nightwatch office Bob called home when he wasn't doing his rounds checking on the kids and the counselors. I opened the door and walked in. I found Bob kicked back in a reclining desk chair, feet up on the desk, lunchbox open, one hand putting a sandwich in his mouth, the other putting a sandwich in the dogs mouth.

I was never curious again.

That dog loved the hands that fed her. But make no mistake, as she stayed by his side all through the night, the two of them marching through the Croatan National Forest like they owned the place, that dog loved the man behind the hands even more.

A few years later we moved from North Carolina to Virginia. Circumstances prevented us from bringing Calypso along with us on the move. There was only one logical home for that dog. I remember Bob crying when I told him Calypso was all his.

I was sitting in a school parking lot several years ago when my phone rang. It was Bob. I hadn't heard from him in a while. When I answered, I immediately heard a sadness in his voice. He was calling to let me know Calypso had died.

Bob cried when he told me about Calypso. I know he was sad to lose his friend. He told me how Calypso stayed by his wife's side as she battled and later lost her war with cancer. He told me how Calypso looked after him as he grieved that loss. But you know, you know what I know Bob was most sad about - he was most sad about the sadness he anticipated the news bringing to us.

Because that was Bob. Bob spent his life accumulating love. And when you love like Bob loved - even thinking about another man's hurt - it hurts you.

By many financial measures, Bob lived rather poor. He never had much in the way of material possessions. But that man had a laugh like no other. He had a joy in him that overwhelmed you within seconds of being around him. Not sometimes - not fickle joy - but every single encounter with the man.

I've been gone from that forest for nearly 14 years now. I have many dear friends from those days. Most of them are friends I've done a poor job keeping up with - as they've done with me. I get that; life gets busy.

But there's one man that never let me get too far removed from those days in the woods - and that's Pop Bob. He frequently called me out of the blue for no reason other than to check in. And he never missed sending a holiday text message.

That's just who Bob was. In his mind he was the richest and happiest man on earth. Maybe he was. And maybe that's because he spent so much time accumulating love.

He's a beautiful reminder for me today - oh there is no doubt - we DO become what we accumulate.

I pray some of that love will comfort Bob's family and friends in the days ahead.

I offer gratitude for the love I got to accumulate in my life thanks to Bob. It too let's me experience what it feels like to be rich.